Sometimes God wants us to do the “wrong” thing

Father Joseph Lopez, JCL, is Vocations Director
for the Diocese of Corpus Christi.

Sometimes God speaks to us most clearly when we do the wrong thing. This is especially true in vocation discernment.

Of course, “the wrong thing” here does not refer to something that is morally wrong. Rather, we are talking about making a choice which is not the direct path to our destination, but which appears to be the best choice at a particular point of one’s discernment.

The point can be illustrated by this story.

Ben graduated from high school and went to college, hoping to eventually marry a beautiful woman, have a lucrative career as a lawyer and live a comfortable life. He was Catholic, but only nominally. He went to Sunday Mass—when it was convenient. However, his mother convinced him to go to a good Catholic college, to which he agreed after seeing they had a great law program.

Shortly into his freshman year, Ben met an attractive young woman named Jessica and they began dating. She was a devout Catholic, and Ben began to attend Mass with her not just every Sunday, but also during the week. He also began to go to confession regularly, little-by-little becoming more devout himself.

By the beginning of his second year of college, Ben and Jessica began talking about marriage. As they discussed it more, he felt increasingly uneasy at the thought of marriage. He could not figure it out. His girlfriend was wonderful, they were like-minded on everything, they shared their faith with each other in an increasingly profound way. Why would his heart not find peace?

His unease became so great that he went to the chaplain, who by this time knew him quite well. He laid out his troubles, and after listening, the chaplain surprised him. “Maybe God isn’t calling you to marriage. Have you ever considered another vocation?”

The truth was that he had not. As soon as he began thinking about the possibility of a vocation to the priesthood, Ben became peaceful once more. He applied to go to the seminary, was accepted and was eventually ordained a priest. He cannot imagine being happier about his vocation.

God leads some on the “scenic route” to help them find their true vocations.

Father Ben is certain that God led him to his true vocation by a “scenic route.” If he had not met Jessica and pursued a vocation to marriage, he may never have begun to live his faith such that he would be open to a vocation to the priesthood.

God frequently leads us on what may seem like diversions for numerous reasons—maybe we are too hard-headed to see the shorter path, or maybe he wants to open up possibilities that would be unavailable otherwise. Maybe simply having the experience of different possibilities may help one to be absolutely certain when he finds his true vocation.

It is quite possible that God has planned for us a “temporary vocation”, so to speak, in order to lead us to our actual vocation. We should not be afraid of doing the “wrong thing” as long as we are doing what we think God is calling us to do. If we remain open to His will, he will tell us in due time whether we are headed on the right path.

Thank you for taking the time to discern your vocation! Remember, the best way to discern is to pray and be open to God’s will in your life.